The Kurdistan Regional Government Halts Local Broadcasting of the NRT Channel
Press Freedom Advocacy Association in Iraq 28/8/2017 The Directorate of Media, Printing and Publishing in Erbil, within the Ministry of Culture and Youth of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), has stopped all local broadcasting of the NRT satellite channel. The channel said in its press release, “The Directorate announced that its decision was because the […]
New Draft Law Threatens Freedom of Expression on the Internet
Iraqi Women Journalist Forum and Iraqi Civil Society Solidarity Initiative – 28 August 2017 On 26 August 2017, the Iraqi Women Journalist Forum held a seminar in Baghdad on the draft law on internet censorship. Though no precise date has been announced, this proposed law, the ‘Informatics Crime Law’, is set to be delivered to […]
Free and Open Public Discourse in Iraqi Kurdistan is Under Threat
Human rights report by Christian Peacemaker Team, August 2017 (Full report can be downloaded in pdf here) Current situation surrounding Referendum on Independence The authorities of Iraqi Kurdistan have planned a referendum vote for independence of Iraqi Kurdistan from the Central Iraqi Government set to take place on September 25th, 2017. As part of its […]
Maysan’s Social Forum Non-Violent Action
Salman Khairalla, 22 August 2017 In Maysan province, Amarah is often referred to as ‘the city of love and beauty’, with roots that extend back hundreds of years. Historically, it has always been home to a wide range of people of different religions and sects, yet who nevertheless lived together peacefully and harmoniously. This peaceful […]
Rocks in Hasankeyf Destroyed by Explosives – Destruction Enters New Phase
Press release by the Initiative to Keep Hasankeyf Alive 21 August 2017 With the demolition of human formed rocks through explosives in Hasankeyf, the destruction of this 12.000 years old town at the Tigris River in the Kurdish Southeast of Turkey has entered a new phase. Hasankeyf, more than 300 archaeological sites, 136 km […]
The Shakoufyan Cultural Center Opens in Hit City
By Shakoufyan, Iraqi Social Forum and ICSSI Secretariat – August 22, 2017 On the evening of 12 August, 2017, in Hit, youth opened the Shakoufyan Cultural Center. This new center, which contains a small library, a café and a theater for activities, workshops, seminars and literary events, is one of this year’s most important projects […]
The Perils of Private Education: A Seminar by the Ofok Organization and the ISF
By Ofok Organization and ICSSI Secretariat – 22 August 2017 On 7 August 2017, the Ofok Organization for Human Development organized a seminar entitled “Private schools and their impact on education in Iraq”, for a number of educators and others interested in education issues. During the session, the discussions focused on the positive and negative […]
Neighbourhood Tactics: Smaller Protests in Baghdad Get Bigger Results
Ibrahim Saleh, NIQASH In Iraq, the temperature this summer has often risen to higher than 50 degrees Centigrade. Meanwhile electricity – which runs air conditioning units and refrigerators – is being cut more frequently, water pumping services are interrupted and sewage overflows. The situation has driven ordinary Iraqis out of their houses and onto the […]
A Training for Humat Dijlah Activists in Preparation for a Regional Water Forum
Following a strategy meeting in April 2017 with river activists from Iraq, Turkey and Iran, Save the Tigris Campaign announced a regional water forum will be organized in April 2018 in the city of Sulaymaniyah (Iraq) with participants from across Mesopotamia. Preparing for this occasion, Humat Dijlah and the Iraqi Social Forum organized a training […]
In Hit and Ramadi, Young Volunteers Work for Peaceful Coexistence and Nonviolence
By Iraqi Social Forum and ICSSI Secretariat – August 15, 2017 Now that the Upper Euphrates cities have been liberated from Daesh, they need the attention and cooperation of all. We hope that this region, which has suffered so much, will once again be a key player in the process of restoring peace and coexistence […]
Kut Activists Train in Nonviolence
By Iraqi Social Forum and ICSSI Secretariats – August 15, 2017 On 4-5 August 2017, the Iraqi Social Forum (ISF), in cooperation with the Democratic Cultural Forum in Kut, organized a training to prepare youth volunteers to become facilitators in nonviolence; the training involved a group of 11 young activists in Kut, and was held […]
Iraqi Unions Urge Parliament to Reject Social Security Bill
10.08.2017 – IndustriALL Trade unions in Iraq, including IndustriALL Global Union affiliates, are calling on the Iraqi parliament to reject a draft social security law, which would reduce social protection for thousands of people already suffering in the war-ravaged state. The proposed legislation was approved by the Iraqi cabinet on 1 August and is now […]